Wireless modem can't find the Mothership!

lpinkmountainDecember 6, 2011

I have an old Compaq laptop that I stopped using when I got my new one. But I want to set it up again in a back bedroom office. It does not have an internal wireless modem, it has an SMC plug in one. I have a cable Internet connection with a wireless router that I got specifically to go with the SMC plug in wireless modem. I used the wireless modem and the wireless router to bring the Internet connection to my old laptop for years. But now I can't get it to work anymore. When I fired the old laptop connections it couldn't find MY connection. Even when I have the laptop sitting on a desk right next to the wireless router, the computer can't find my network. It finds other connections in the neighborhood. The wireless modem appears to be working, at least the little green power dots on it light up. And the wireless router and modem work, I'm using them to send this message on my new laptop. And it all used to work on my old laptop too. How can I trouble shoot this? The wireless router seems to interface with other neighborhood wireless networks, just not mine. And that used to be its mothership! I haven't tried connecting it to one of the other networks since they are mostly secured. And the battery won't hold a charge on the old laptop so it's cumbersome to take on the road to check out somewhere else. I could try it though.

first thing to always try is to power down everything the pcs, the router the modem pull the power on all of them then start up in this specific order after about a 5 min rest, power to the modem let it get fully lit up, then power to the router let it get fully lit up then power to your various computers. See if that helps very often it does.
You might try doing it with the laptop near the router then move it where you want it to see if it keeps the signal.
Also you may have to re-enter your passcode to your wireless network again in that laptop it may not have kept it if it has been off a long time.

I figured I'd have to re-enter my passcode, but I can't do that if it doesn't first recognize the wireless signal and try to make the connection. I shut down the computer but haven't tried shutting down the cable modem and router. I'll give that a shot.

I shut down and rebooted in the order you suggested Raven. Still the SMC card doesn't pick up the signal from my wireless router. Is there some setting for the kinds of signals it will pick up? It is an SMC modem and router, and the computer is now on a desk right next to the router. I looked at the menu for networks it would connect to and mine was on the list. But that's because it used to connect to my network all the time. Very puzzling. And like I said, the cable modem and router work because I use them all the time with my other computers.